The Flying Saucer (Austin and beyond but not DC)

Hard not to like a pub whose URL is http://www.beerknurd.com, isn’t it? We hit the Austin location of the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium — there aren’t any in greater DC, closest is Raleigh NC. They always have a great selection of microbrews, with a focus on local and regional but extending nationally and internationally. We tried several Texas-brewed IPAs on this visit, all good, including from Austin’s own 512 Brewing and Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle. Food is mostly average, but the big salty pretzels are a good match for the beer, and you could do worse than two large slices of mediocre pizza for $4.99. Beer specials vary throughout the week — we were there on Texas night, so our IPAs cost $3 apiece, a total steal. Service is excellent; servers do not fly, nor do they wear saucers; they do wear little kilts, but the outfits are more punk and less trashy than at the Tilted Kilt. The walls do wear saucers, lots and lots of saucers; the decor is kind of hard to describe. A fine place to indulge in some delicious beverages, when one finds oneself in a town that has a Flying Saucer franchise.